LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE IRISH VOTE.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—In your last number you say that the Irish people are
unanimous for revolution. This is an enormous exaggeration.
I enclose a cutting from the Belfast Evening Telegraph of this day, and condense from it the following statistics :-
" Up to the date of publication, the Irish elections showed the following to be the numbers of voters polled—
Nationalists 218,573 Conservatives 93,113 Liberals 27,124
While the Members elected were—
Nationalists 68 Conservatives 17 Liberals 0
So that the voters of the two Unionist parties were together 120,237, to 218,573 of the Nationalists. The proportion of the Unionist Members ought, consequently, to have been 30 to 55 Nationalists, instead of 17 to 68.
The system of representing majorities only works endurably with you, in consequence of the great difference between the characters- of different localities. With us, on the contrary, where all are nearly alike, it has totally deprived the Liberals of representation, and left the Conservatives far short of their fair proportion of seats.—I am, Sir, &c., [We should have said that that the three Southern provinces are virtually unanimous, and that Ulster is nearly equally divided.]—ED. Spectator.
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